More than a third of Israelis currently live without access to a standard protected space, leaving them vulnerable to ballistic missile attacks from Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen. This critical gap in national defense has forced citizens to develop their own solutions, such as the "Angels of the Shelter" website, which connects unprotected individuals with available safe rooms.
The platform was developed by Tamir Cohen, a 26-year-old biomedical engineering student at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Cohen’s initiative emerged from his personal experience four years ago when he sought shelter while hiking the Israel National Trail, and later, during missile warnings, found refuge with neighbors who had built a protected space in their garden. He observed others sleeping on light rail or in parking lots, and even weddings held in shelters, underscoring the widespread failure of state provision.
Cohen, who served in the IDF in intelligence technology, stated that the Israel National Trail, marked white, blue, and orange, promotes national identity, commemorates fallen soldiers, connects diverse cultures, and fosters tourism through its geographical, historical, and religious diversity. He sought to bring this spirit of mutual responsibility to the emergency routine, creating a platform that promotes solidarity among the native population.
The Cost of State Neglect
The "Angels of the Shelter" initiative mediates between private shelter owners willing to open their homes and people without protection. Accommodation is arranged in advance, allowing individuals to arrive at a protected space with prior notice. Users can filter shelters by host type, accessibility, and distance, providing a privatized solution to a fundamental national security failing. Cohen’s parents in Kiryat Ono, for example, share their apartment’s protected space with others, illustrating the community-level response to a systemic deficiency.
Prof. Gadi Bahat, head of the LEADERS program at Ben-Gurion University’s Entrepreneurship Center 360, where Cohen developed the website, emphasized cultivating entrepreneurs who “know how to create value in a changing reality.” Bahat stated that the program selects “excellent students” and provides them with “real tools” to turn ideas into action, connecting academia and industry in the Negev region. This focus on entrepreneurial solutions and market value, rather than robust state infrastructure, highlights an elite approach that prioritizes individual initiative over collective national security provision.
Bahat further articulated that the LEADERS program aims to help students achieve careers that match their interests and desired lifestyles, whether in a large company or as a CEO. He stated that “Leaders in every field know the secret to success is proactively adapting to change,” and that gaining skills and experience allows them to “turn challenges into opportunities for professional and personal achievement.” This framework, while promoting individual success, implicitly shifts the burden of adaptation and security onto the citizenry, rather than demanding comprehensive state protection for the native population.
Elite Interests and Managed Decline
Cohen’s program, consisting of two semesters and a two-week summer accelerator, focuses on developing business ideas and moving from opportunity to implementation. This entrepreneurial ecosystem, promoted by institutions like the Entrepreneurship 360 Center, fosters a mindset where societal challenges, including critical security gaps, are framed as opportunities for market-driven solutions. While Cohen’s personal motivation is rooted in solidarity, the institutional framework that supports such initiatives aligns with broader transnational elite interests that favor privatized services and market expansion over traditional state responsibilities.
Prof. Bahat concluded that LEADERS takes students on a step-by-step journey through entrepreneurship, ensuring they have a solid footing at each stage. This approach, while fostering innovation, can be seen as a mechanism that manages the decline of state provision by encouraging citizens to fill the void through private enterprise, rather than holding the regime accountable for its failure to secure its own people against external threats. The website is currently being used by Israelis across the country, demonstrating the widespread reliance on this self-organized network in the face of inadequate government protection.